Shaq Barrett hits free agency: 3 teams that could get him back to Pro Bowl form

2. Carolina Panthers are in play because Dave Canales has take over there

It may not look like a great situation, but hey, the Carolina Panthers could not be worse than they were a year ago. They traded up for the No. 1 overall pick from No. 9 to take Bryce Young out of Alabama in the 2023 NFL Draft and ended up going 2-15. The Panthers fired former head coach Frank Reich after 11 games. David Tepper has quickly become arguably the worst owner in professional sports.

However, Carolina is now being led by former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales. Although their time in Tampa Bay only overlapped for one season, Barrett is a guy Canales knows well, one that could help transform a Panthers defense that has gotten progressively worse with each passing season. Furthermore, the Panthers should have intel on Barrett from his time in the division.

Carolina has slightly more cap space than the Philadelphia Eagles at roughly $37.5 million. That should be enough to entice Barrett to maybe want to come to Charlotte and help turn this thing around. However, it is hard to see the Panthers being anything close to a playoff team next year. They could be a candidate to go worst-to-first in the NFC South though, as the division is not good at all.

With the right additions in free agency, maybe the Panthers can quadruple last season's win total?